Hour One of the Afterlife Journey

Hail to you, Bull of the West!So says Thoth, King of Eternity, about me.

Most of the Pagan world in the Northern Hemisphere observed the feast of Samhain this weekend, drawing near to and honoring the blessed dead.

Temple Osireion also observes this liminal time of dimming sun.As Ra (or the soul of the deceased) crosses the western horizon into the land of amenti, he enters the mouth of Nut.The great star-spangled blue mother swallows him into her body where he begins his long nighttime journey.Here are spells (sayings) from the afterlife books which we use during the part of our ritual which marks the first hour in the Duat.

I belong to your company, Osiris.I belong to your company, O Horus. I have fought for you against your enemies and watched over your name. I stood on the shores with the ones who mourned Osiris at his death.

Thoth has helped me so that I might be there on the day of the clothing of the dismembered one, the wrapping of Osiris’ mummy, and the day of opening of the caverns to wash him, and the throwing open of the door of the secret things hidden in the earth, Rostau.

I am the priest.I am the one who sees the mysteries in the earth.I read the rituals for the soul.I am the master craftsman.

O you who cause the blessed dead to draw near, may you bring the excellent soul of Ani near with you to the House of Osiris.May he hear as you hear, may he see as you see, may he stand as you stand, may he sit as you sit.

O you who open a path and open up roads for the perfected souls in the House of Osiris, open a path for the soul of Ani.

May he come in freely

May he go out in peace

May he be vindicated

May no fault be found in him

May he go in favored

May he come out loved

The soul of Ani as Osiris is greeted by the maternal embrace of the goddess as he sails between her arms. The pieces of his body, strewn across the land when he was murdered by Set, are now joined, wrapped in linen. He is greeted by the blessed dead, those who spoke and lived their earthly lives in maat.A strike of the gong means we soon approach the second hour.

Holli Emore is Executive Director of Cherry Hill Seminary, the premiere educational resource for Pagan and other nature-based religions (www.cherryhillseminary.org), founder of Osireion (www.osireion.com), editor/writer for Wild Garden: Pagans in the Growing Interfaith Landscape at Patheos.com, and serves on the board of directors for Interfaith Partners of S.C. (interfaithpartnersofsc.org). She is co-founder of the original Pagan Round Table, www.paganroundtable.org, and author of "Pool of Lotus," available in print, or for Kindle or Nook, at http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/holli1032